Cabinet Questions

[QuackMasterDan]

Hi there, this is my first post on this forum, and have been looking through quite a few webpages, and discussions about building an arcade cabinet. I would like to have some things cleared up in plain and simple English, and have anyone be able to inform me if my idea for a cabinet will work.

First off, is it possible to have the innards of my cabinet be a junker Windows XP PC, with TV-Out, and a regular CRT television as my display? I'm picking this up from alot of sites, but am not sure if I am supposed to be having an "arcade" screen. I also keep reading about certain hertz which will damage my TV?

Second, is a keyboard encoder installed as a PCI card into a machine? I would love to set up two players for my cabinet, with a button for credits, two joysticks, and 8 buttons (4x2). I still do not understand how I interface the buttons with the computer, is it a USB plugin adapter? Do I take off my keyboards keys and solder the buttons connectors to it? I am very confused.

How much soldering experience (as I have basically none) is required to create a cabinet with a windows machine, buttons, and a tv running as the arcade machine?

Finally, I wish to build this cabinet myself, and was curious as to how people get such a smooth finish on the interface board. In real arcades, it is a smooth, yet grip-like board that is a solid color, and am not sure how to obtain this with any kind of paint (acrylic?).

And thats all, thanks!

~QuackMasterDan

[fjl]

Yes, you can use an old XP PC to run mame off of. And yes you can use a normal tv instead of a PC monitor. I read in saints book that a video card with S-video out is your best option when using a tv. Otherwise buying an actual arcade monitor would be optimal. I also recall reading something about the frequency(hertz) being able to damage your tv. Don't exactly remember what was said so I can't really help on that. But somehow i doubt its something to worry about. But maybe someone else can fill you in on that.

Keyboard encoders are basically keyboard hacks. Where they hack the circuitry of a keyboards circuit board to use the outputs/inputs as arcade buttons/controls. I-Pac is one of the better ones. It doesn't involve soldering. And no, they are not PCI cards. Follow this link...

http://www.ultimarc.com/ipac1.html

Apparently you still haven't gone through the Newbie Guide. The link is on the left side of the screen. 4th one down on the list next to the pushbuttons. Go through it!

As for the interface board, are you talking about the control panel? The one with the buttons and joysticks? if so, its shiny cause most people cover it with plexiglass or lucite.

[paigeoliver]

Also the plexiglass on the control panel is something you can skip. Original games almost never had that, it is something that converted games had, largely to cover up the old holes in the control panel.

Plexi looks awful once it has been on there for a few years.

[fjl]

If only it was posiible to make it out of glass...

[polaris]

the tv problem, re damaging it ,search around for pc to vga(or video) you will find two different things . a lead which simply has a tv connector on it ,this is used if you have the correct video card with tv out if you dont have tv out on the card ,boom or not good anyway , the other product is a SCAN CONVERTER WHICH IS WHAT YOU (AND I) NEED to run a tv without the appropriate hardware in the pc youll be pleased to know these cost up to £6000 pounds , but you can get em for around £50
ill try and find one for you n post the link later, im hungry now

[polaris]

have a look at this thread including the issue on tv/pc
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=63292.msg631043#msg631043
in it you will find links to the lead that you dont want in a reply to me,and in the last post ive done, a link to a scan converter which is what you need to convert the image from a pc signal to a video signal.
to be clear , video card with tv out - you just need a lead berween pc and tv
                no tv out                    - you need a scan converter to convert the signal.